Development of systematic behavioural observation to quantify ongoing cognitive activity limitations after brain injury : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
Loading...
Date
2010
DOI
Open Access Location
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Massey University
Rights
The Author
Abstract
One of the goals of cognitive rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury is to help
people perform everyday tasks. However, options for the rigorous assessment of
everyday cognitive effectiveness after rehabilitation are limited. Performance on
neuropsychological tests is only moderately correlated with everyday functioning, while
previous measures of everyday functioning include only fairly general estimates of
overall cognitive functioning. The aim of the current study was to develop an
ecologically valid measure that captured a number of subdomains of executive
functioning, using systematic behavioural observation of an everyday task. The initial
phase of the research involved identifying an everyday task that was sufficiently
complex to ensure that executive functioning was utilised in the completion of the task.
Participants with traumatic brain injury were then asked to prepare chocolate brownies,
using a recipe provided, and a hot drink. Participants were allowed to use any
compensatory strategy to help complete the task. Participant performance was directly
observed by an examiner and videotaped for subsequent inter-rater reliability. Two
independent raters assessed nine components of executive functioning. During this
phase, the examiner manuals were modified improving inter-rater reliability. The final
version of the measure was then trialled with participants with and without traumatic
brain injury. Final inter-rater reliability indicated the approach had merit. Significant
and moderate correlations were found between traditional measures of executive
functioning and the everyday task. This study employed systematic behavioural
observation to obtain fine-grained information regarding a person’s cognitive
functioning. With further development, this approach may prove useful for targeting and
monitoring specific functional difficulties during cognitive rehabilitation.
Description
Keywords
Traumatic brain injury, Brain damage patients, Behavioural assessment, Cognitive limitations